Paphiopedilum is one of the most attractive garden plant in orchids. Studies in the prior art for establishing a clone multiplication technology of Paphiopedilums include a scape terminal bud culture method (K. Kawase, Multiplication of Paphiopedilums by tissue cultures, J. J. Soc. Hort. Sci. 63(Suppl.1), 1988), an axillary shoot culture method (L. C. Huang, A procedure for asexual for multiplication of Paphiopedilums in vitro, American Orchid Society Bulletin, 57: 274-278, 1988), a protocorm culture method (B. F. Mark, Tissue culture method for the genus Paphiopedilum. Australian Orchid Review, Feb. 4-10, 1991) and a shoot apex culture method (S. Yasuki et al., Meri-clone seedling formation of Paphiopedilums by a shoot apex culture method, Engeigakkaishi, 64 Extra number 1: 516-517, 1995).
However, if the multiplication of Paphiopedilum clone is carried out by such methods, there may be provided with low multiplication rate or no multiplication. Accordingly, such methods have suffered from difficulty in being employed as a practical technology for clone multiplication of Paphiopedilum.
The difficulty may be attributable to the plant death due to browning of tissues during culture as well as the missing of the combination of culture materials and culture conditions suitable for clone multiplication.